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ThedifferencebetweentheWhigandtheRadicaltempershoweditselfinphilosophicalasinpoliticalquestions。TheRadicalpridedhimselfonbeinglogicalandthoroughgoing，whiletheWhiglovedcompromise，andthoughtthatlogicwasveryapttobeanuisance。ThesystematicreticencewhichtheUtilitariansheldtobenecessarypreventedthiscontrastfromshowingitselfdistinctlyonthesurface。TheUtilitarians，however，thoughtheyavoidedsuchoutspokenscepticismaswouldstartlethepublic，indicatedquitesufficientlytotheinitiatedtheiressentialposition。Itimpliedwhattheyfullyrecognisedinprivateconversation——acompleteabandonmentoftheology。Theylefttheobviousinferencestobedrawnbyothers。Inphilosophytheycouldspeakoutinawell-foundedconfidencethatfewpeoplewereabletodrawinferences。Iwillbeginbyconsideringthedoctrineagainstwhichtheyprotested；fortheantagonismreveals，Ithink，thekeytotheirposition。
WhenStewartwasobligedbyinfirmitytoretirefromtheactivedischargeofhisduties，hewassucceededbyThomasBrown(1778-1820)。Brownhadshownearlyprecocity，andattheageoffifteenhadattractedStewart’snoticebysomeremarksonapsychologicalpoint。HepublishedattwentyacriticismofDarwin’sZoonomia，andhebecameoneoftheEdinburghReviewcircle。
WhentheReviewwasstartedhecontributedanarticleuponKant。
InthosehappydaysitwassofarfromnecessarytoprepareoneselfforsuchataskbystudyingalibraryofcommentatorsthattheyoungreviewercouldfranklyadmithiswholeknowledgetobederivedfromVillers’PhilosophiedeKant(1801)。3Soonafterwardshetookanimportantshareinaoncefamouscontroversy。JohnLeslie，justelectedtothemathematicalchairatEdinburgh，wasaccusedofhavingwrittenfavourablyofHume’stheoryofcausation。WhigsandToriestookthisupasapartyquestion，4andBrownundertooktoexplaininapamphletwhatHume’stheorywas，andtoshowthatitdidnotleadtoatheism。Leslie’sfriendstriumphed，thoughitdoesnotappearhowfarBrown’sargumentscontributedtotheirsuccess。
Thepamphletwasrewrittenandenlarged，andathirdeditionof1818givesafullexpositionofhistheory。BrownhadmeanwhilebecomeStewart’sleadingdisciple，andin1810waselectedtobehiscolleague，Brownheldtheposition，doingalltheactiveduties，untilhisprematuredeathin1820。Brown，accordingtohisbiographer，wrotehislecturesimmediatelybeforedelivery，andcompletedthemduringhisfirsttwoyearsofoffice。Histheories，aswellashiswords，wereoften，accedingtothesameauthority，extemporised。
Brownfoundthathecouldnotimprovewhathehadwrittenunder’verypowerfulexcitement。’Moreover，hehadanunluckybeliefthathewasapoet。From1814till1819hebroughtoutyearlywhathesupposedtobeapoem，theseproductions，theParadiseofCoquetsandtherest，areintheold-fashionedtaste，andhavelongpassedintooblivion。
Thelectures，publishedposthumously，becameatextbookforstudents，andreachedanineteentheditionin1851。
Theirfaults，consideredasphilosophicaltreatises，arepalpable，theyhavethewordinessofhastycomposition，andthediscursiverhetoricintendedtocatchtheattentionofanindolentaudience。Browndoesnotseethatheisinsultinghishearerswhenheapologisesforintroducinglogicintolecturesuponmetaphysics，andindemnifiesthembyquotationsfromAkensideandtheEssayonMan。Brown，however，showedgreatacutenessandoriginality。Hemadedeviations，andtookpainstomarkhisdeviations，fromReid，thoughhespokemoreguardedlyofhisownfriend，Stewart，Stewart，whohadstronglysupportedBrown’selection，wasshockedwhen，onthepublicationofthelectures，hecametodiscoverthathiscolleaguehadbeenpreachingheresy，andwrotewithobviousannoyanceofBrown’shastinessanddangerousconcessionstotheenemy。5Brown，however，impressedhiscontemporariesbyhisability。SydneySmithisprobablyreportingthecurrentjudgmentofhisowncirclewhenhesays6
